Maryland senate votes to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana

The Maryland Senate [official website] on Tuesday voted 30-16 [legislative history] in favor of a bill that would decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana. Sponsored by Democratic Senator Robert Zirkin and Republican Senator Allan Kittleman [official websites], Senate Bill 297 [text, PDF] seeks to lower the penalty for possession of less than 10 grams of the drug to a maximum $100 fine instead of the current maximum of $500 coupled with 90 days in prison. Motivated by a waste of expenditures under the current law, the bill's Fiscal and Policy Note [text, PDF] cites minimal decreases "in general fund revenues from fines imposed in District Court cases" and "for incarcerations" as two positive effects the new law could have on Maryland. The Note similarly cites a "[m]inimal decrease in local expenditures due to the ... elimination of an incarceration penalty" as well as no effect on revenues or small businesses. SB 297 now passes to the Maryland House of Representatives [official website] for approval.

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